This invention relates to an on-line product catalogue and ordering system and to presenting multimedia content to a user. The invention provides a multi-user system, and a graphical user interface representing a virtual space through which a user may navigate. In particular, but not exclusively, the invention relates to the presentation of multimedia content and on-line product ordering via the World Wide Web (“the Web”).
Real places are sensed in combination with other people present. Sensations of the same place can vary from bustling to barren depending on the amount of people present. On the other hand, the Web can be an alienating and insular experience. Often, many people can be working at the same time on the Web, without the opportunity to ask each other questions, or sense that someone else is interested in the same area. Some on-line product catalogue and ordering Web sites have attempted to address this problem. For example, Amazon.com™, one such site, has instituted “purchase circles” allowing prospective purchasers to access bestseller lists grouped according to selected communities. These communities are based on a geographical location, workplace, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,173 describes a system in which network computer users are provided with information about which other users are “task proximate” to the user, thereby facilitating spontaneous communications regarding task-related, or other issues. The information about other users is displayed in a user interface window, which presents a visual representation of each other user who is “task proximate” to the user. A drawback of the arrangement described in this patent is that information regarding the “task proximate” users is always displayed in the same manner, in a separate window, irrespective of the “task” which the user is performing, which can be disorienting. In addition, the progress of any other user within the task is not readily determined without actually communicating with that other user.
Also known are “Multi-User Virtual Environments” (MUVEs), in which on-line users may navigate through a virtual space, see other users within the same space and communicate with such other users by means of a multi-user chat application. These are intended to allow users to work on projects collaboratively, for teaching purposes, or simply for social interaction.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of presenting an on-line product catalogue and ordering system to a user, said method comprising providing a graphical user interface representing a virtual space through which users may navigate, said virtual space including representations representing products, through which a user may obtain product information and order a product on-line, and representations representing other users of the system, through which the user may identify such other users and communicate with a selected other user regarding the products on offer.